Here are ten new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.
All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.
NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")
You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Haley Warrington of
The Booker Albert Literary AgencyHaley is newly embarking on an agenting role at the Booker Albert Literary Agency. On top of having two romance novels slated for publication by Lake Country Press, she has completed an internship at Booker Albert.
What she is seeking: She is a fan of all things romance—bring the heat or leave it at the door, she’s interested in representing Adult or New Adult fiction. Some of her favorite novels include The Match by Sarah Adams, Wildfire by Hannah Grace, and anything Emily Henry. She would love a story that could comp shows like Gossip Girl, Reign, or You.
Across the genres Haley would like to represent, she is overall looking for great storytelling. Any piece that brings emotion to the front and center and evokes reactions. Make her laugh, make her cry, make her think about it for weeks after the initial read (emphasis on the crying aspect…she likes sad stories).
How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.
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Ashlee MacCallum of
Howland LiteraryAshlee MacCallum joined Howland Literary after interning at Triada US. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and a master’s in Education.
Ashlee lives in Nevada with her husband and two children. By day, she’s a high school English teacher who assigns cool books, reads powerful essays, and makes her students dramatically reenact Macbeth. Outside the classroom, Ashlee writes picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. She is represented by Amanda Carbonell at Belcastro Agency.
When she’s not lost in a book or spinning one of her own, Ashlee is probably mapping out her next Disney adventure, binging a true crime podcast, or humming show tunes in the kitchen. She’s fueled by caffeine, charmed by ghost stories, and fluent in banned books.
What she is seeking: Ashlee represents picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult fiction.
How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.
Marina Green of
P. S. Literary Agency (CANADA)
Marina Green is an associate agent at PSLA representing fiction and non-fiction. After completing a BA and post-grad in publishing and spending half a decade as a bookseller, Marina began her career as an editor at a small indie publisher in Montréal before moving to Harlequin’s Trade division as an acquiring editor. Marina has always had an eclectic taste in books and is always looking for atmospheric, diverse, and inclusive stories rooted in cultural identity and belonging—and magic when she can get it. When Marina isn’t immersing herself in books and words and magical worlds, you can find her with a cup of tea in hand, trying a new yoga asana—never at the same time—or practicing Armenian, the language of her ancestors.
What she is seeking: Marina is actively acquiring fiction (adult and YA) and non-fiction (adult). In fiction, she is particularly drawn to speculative, atmospheric, and voice-driven narratives for both adult and young adult audiences. She has a soft spot for hybrid genres, such as horror-romance or speculative thrillers, and books with big hooks. In literary fiction, she is looking for stories that push the boundaries of genre and form. She’d love horror in the vein of an A24 film. When it comes to mysteries and thrillers, she looks for atmospheric stories with unreliable narrators that skew psychological or slowly get under your skin. For romance, she seeks stories with heart and something big to say, or unconventional takes on the genre. In fantasy, she is looking for unique magic systems, strong characters, and stories inspired by myth or folklore, particularly outside the Western canon. While she’s open to romantasy, these submissions need to stand out against the saturated market. On the non-fiction side, she is interested in self-help, spiritual (Marina loves the woo woo!), and the occult. She’s also very keen to find poignant nature memoirs and other nature-based non-fiction. As a child of diaspora herself, across all categories, she is looking for diverse and inclusive stories rooted in the diasporic experience, cultural identity, and belonging.
How to submit: If you would like to send a query to Marina, please review the agency's submission
guidelines HERE. Please use this format in the subject field of your email: “Marina / BOOK TITLE / CREATOR NAME / GENRE”.
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Kaylyn Aldridge of
Metamorphosis Literary AgencyKaylyn Aldridge has been a ferocious reader ever since she learned how to read. Growing up, Kaylyn spent almost all of her free time devouring the stacks of books she would get from the library. When she wasn't deep in a story, she would write her own. Creating worlds and characters was one of the major ways Kaylyn expressed herself.
In her free time, Kaylyn loves to research underground internet subcultures. She believes that diverse perspectives are key to understanding cultures, communities, and nuances of the human experience. When she is not working or reading, she likes to feed the local magpies.
What she is seeking: Romance (ESPECIALLY supernatural, paranormal, contemporary, romcom), Coming of Age, Young Adult, LGBT+
A plus if any of genres listed above feature Black protagonists, and I love characters that feel ALIVE.
How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE. (Open to queries December, June, and July)
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Anna Ange of
Liza Dawson AssociatesAnna graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2022 with B.A. in English and French Literature. She then went on to participate in the Writers House Internship Program. Anna spends her free time scavenging for and tumbling rocks, playing Fire Emblem, organizing independently published zine projects, and, of course, reading.
What she is seeking:
- Adult literary/genre crossover. Literary forward novels that play with horror, speculative, or “weird” elements. Interesting prose, mind boggling premises. Satire also welcome.
- Fiction that is not technically horror, but evokes a sense of horror nonetheless.
- True genre horror. No holds barred.
- Queer historical fiction & historical fantasy, especially set before the year 1900.
- Narrative non-fiction or essays that center on niche and surprising topics.
- Adult Graphic novels (fiction): Small-scale, intimate but existential stories set against fantastical backgrounds, historical fantasy, horror/gothic/noir with romantic subplots. Unique and inventive art styles.
- Adult Graphic novels (non-fiction): history and memoir.
- Autumnal, spooky/horror-adjacent, middle grade prose or graphic novels that take on complicated, relevant issues.
How to submit: If you are interested in querying Anna, for prose: please send a query in the body of the email, and first three chapters or 25 pages in a word document to queryanna@lizadawson.com.
For graphic novels, please send a query to queryanna@lizadawson.com, which should include a full story synopsis, rendered character art, and at least five completed spreads, but no more than ten completed spreads. You may also send a general portfolio. Your graphic novel SHOULD NOT be complete at the time of querying.
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Kieron Fairweather of
Peters Fraser & Dunlop (UK)
Kieron Fairweather joined PFD in 2021 as Assistant to Caroline Michel, CEO and is now an Associate Agent. After completing a BA and MA in English Literature at Northumbria University, Kieron went on to get his PhD from the same university in 2020, with a thesis focusing on themes of psychogeography, mapping, and the city in the works of Jean Rhys and Djuna Barnes.
What he is seeking: Having worked alongside Caroline and her roster of clients for the past few years, I am now actively looking to build a list across both fiction and non-fiction.
In non-fiction, my taste is for the narrative. I’m interested in writing that blends personal stories with broader cultural, historical, or expert insights, and I’m always fascinated by books that unearth hidden meaning or shed new light on familiar events. Books like Rory Carroll’s Killing Thatcher, Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five, Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing, Ciaran Thapar’s Cut Short, and Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey are good examples of this. I would also love to read submissions that delve into music history from the mid-century onwards (Meet Me In The Bathroom, Our Band Could Be Your Life), provide storied accounts from the world of sport (Barbarian Days, The Takedown podcast), and I would also love to see practical narratives in arts and craft.
I also love writing that examines the emotional and psychological impact of environments, cities, and landscapes, and I’m always looking for works that challenge the quotidian and mapped nature of the city (Lauren Elkin’s Flaneuse, Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust, Robert Macfarlane’s Underland).
In fiction, I am looking for literary and upmarket-commercial crossover. My tastes tend toward the darker side of the spectrum, and I am fascinated by stories that explore unsettling worlds—whether dystopian, speculative, or rooted in gritty realism. Whether this comes in the form of the sharp, atmospheric, weird sci-fi of Jeff Vandermeer or through the emotional intensity and alienation of books like Eileen or Nightcrawling, I always appreciate a novel which challenges me to enter a jarring context or confront unique perspectives.
That said, give me an unconventional, quirky narrator, a healthy dose of horror (or the horrible!), or some gritty urban realism and you’ll have me hooked. Books like Convenience Store Woman, Bear, I Who Have Never Known Men, The Doloriad, Hagstone, Young Mungo, Weird Fucks, Snow Crash, The City & The City, Never Let Me Go, Lapvona, Hummingbird Salamander, and Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow have all scratched this itch in some form or another.
I am always looking for stories about and by the working-class and would love to lend volume to regional voices across fiction and non-fiction.
How to submit: Please send the first three chapters (or around fifty pages) of your novel, as well as a full synopsis and a covering letter, with a brief CV of your writing career, if appropriate. For non-fiction projects, please send a detailed proposal, alongside the covering letter and CV. Send your materials to: Kieron Fairweather kfairweather@pfd.co.uk
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Mr. Carter Hasegawa of
Tugeau 2, Inc.
Carter Hasegawa has been in the children’s book world for nearly 20 years—as a book seller for various indies across the US, as an editor at Candlewick Press, and now, as a literary agent. Why kids’ books? It began in the late-90s with Andrew Clement’s Frindle, became a solid go-to genre with Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee, and finally, it became a wished-for career with Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. “The thing I’ve always loved about children’s literature,” he says, “is that beyond the sheer range of incredible stories, it’s always served as a sort of testing ground for me: of new ideas, of new experiences, of new viewpoints, of emotional extremes.”
Carter is incredibly proud of the work he did while at Candlewick, but he’s especially looking forward to finding and developing new talent – authors, author-illustrators, illustrators – and having a hand in crafting some of the best books out there.
When asked what he’s looking for in a book, he compares it to a particular scene from the movie version of The NeverEnding Story: “The main character, Bastian, is so drawn to a book he finds at a used bookstore that he steals away with it and hides out in his school’s attic and begins to read. In that moment, all that matters is the book. To hold it, turn its pages, fall into its story . . . it’s magic.”
In addition to the already-mentioned titles, some of his favorite books include Watercress, My Papi Has a Motorcycle, Big, Tar Beach, Wednesday Wars, Ender’s Game, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, and SO MANY others. Carter is also an active mentor/speaker for SCBWI, The Writing Barn, Inked Voices, and more.
Originally from Seattle, he now lives in Boston with his librarian wife and their two young sons.
What he is seeking: Carter is open to Author, Illustrator and Author-Illustrator submissions: Picture Books, MG, YA (fiction and nonfiction).
How to submit: Use his form HERE.
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Kathy Palokoff of
Savvy Literary ServicesKathy Palokoff is an associate literary agent at Savvy Literary where she apprenticed under Leticia Gomez, the founder of the firm and one of the top ranking literary agents in the United States. Kathy has a long career as a storyteller and promoter of storytellers. Her specialty is working with changemakers who want to inspire others and find a broader platform. She is particularly interested in helping authors whose books represent diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Writer, editor, content developer, brand builder, and marketer, her greatest joy is working directly with authors and watching a book come to life. Her clients describe her as highly empathic while being direct and focused on their success.
She is the co-author of Firestarters: How Innovators, Instigators, and Initiators Can Inspire Your Own Life and Dismissed: Tackling the Biases That Undermine Our Health Care, a March 2023 release by Kensington Publishing. Kathy has written numerous book proposals that have received publisher offers such as: Brilliance Beyond Borders, More Alike Than Different, and Transforming Your Life Through Self Care.
She has acted as the ghostwriter or editor for multiple authors in memoirs, self-help, business books and novels such as Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism and Redemption; Overcoming the Darkness: Shining Light on Mental Illness, Trauma and Suicide in Law Enforcement; People Economics: Defining and Measuring the True Value of Human Capital; You’re Already a Wealth Heiress; It’s Always Your Move: Purposeful Progress for Corporate Career Women; The Amazing Adventures of Anything Boy; and Amazing Grace: How My Father Taught Me to Rejoice in the Word of Our Father.
An active writer and editor for decades, Kathy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University, a master’s in public administration from SUNY at Brockport, and has completed all doctorate courses from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in technical writing and rhetoric.
What she is seeking: General Fiction, including: Historical. Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror,Mystery/Crime, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense/Thriller.
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Najla of
Savvy Literary ServicesNajla is an avid reader and loves great first chapters, immersive world building, deep character profiles, and well-rounded dialogue. She teaches workshops at several writing conferences, including Common Mistakes In First Chapters, Writing Rules That Can Be Broken, Self-Editing Before the Query, Getting The History And Voice Right, and many other topics. She is co-chair of American Association of Literary Agents’ Professional Development committee and member of the People of Publishing planning committee for the AALA’s annual meeting of literary agents, editors, and publishing professionals.
What she is seeeking: In nonfiction, Najla gravitates towards narrative nonfiction, true crime, memoir, biography, business/economics, leadership, and stories inspired by lesser known people, professions and crafts (builders, designers, architects), musicians/artists/creators, daredevils, athletes, etc.
In fiction, Najla is drawn to voice-driven, emotionally immersive historical fiction, cinematic thriller/suspense (with series potential), horror with surprise endings and twists (especially psychological), speculative (such as alternative history), and magical realism (light fantasy or romantasy). She would like to add more new adult to her list as well as older protagonists. She would also like to see a cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth in her inbox. She does not represent children’s books and only occasionally takes on young adult novels.
Tropes she’d like to see more of:
- Complex societal themes and questions, including privilege and wealth, or lack of.
- Themes of rediscovering identity.
- Complex parent/guardian and child relationships, where both are good but deceptive, cruel, etc. in different ways.
- Misunderstandings or misperceptions of marriage, pregnancy, parenting, death, and/or grief.
In all genres, she hopes to see more immigrant, expat, and/or BIPOC/ underrepresented stories. Last, because real life is messy, stories need strong secondary characters, multiple layers, and complications.
She considers full manuscripts between 65,000 and 85,000 words.
Lee Melillo of
Dunham Literary
Lee Melillo (they/she) joined Dunham Literary, Inc. in May 2024 as Jennie Dunham’s assistant, following an internship with Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret LLC. She was made an Associate Literary Agent in June 2025. Lee additionally manages the agency’s social media and website, is a second-reader for queries, handles royalty statements and permissions, and assists on preparing submissions.
Lee graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University in 2022, with departmental honors in English and Theatre Directing. Through her majors, Lee discovered her passion for advocating for writers. She believes literature is one of the most effective ways to gain empathy for and understanding of life experiences outside our own.
Originally from New Haven, Lee now resides in Queens with her cats/office assistants, Meatloaf and Muffin Man. Lee maintains her love of theatre as the Executive Artistic Director of Personal Pizza Party, an indie production company, and by performing full renditions of musical theatre classics on the glorious stage of her shower.
What she is seeking: Lee represents YA, New Adult, and Adult Fiction written by, for, and about marginalized communities in both commercial and literary markets. She looks for high-concept plots, atmospheric prose, and well-drawn universes with commercial hooks that can reel in a wide range of readers and subsequently deliver well-executed, memorable reading experiences on the sentence level. She appreciates elements of mystery or suspense, especially in historical settings; big-hearted, accessible reads that center platonic and/or romantic relationships; and sharp, weird senses of humor that appeals to a generation of readers raised online.
In Adult Fiction, Lee is searching for book club and upmarket fiction from BIPOC women, neurodiverse, and queer authors. She’d like contemporary fiction exploring complex issues that have both personal and societal implications; eclectic rom-coms with strong plots and unique hooks; ensemble-casts, ideally of women and/or queer folk; or cozy slice-of-life centered around a community space. She is also open to contemporary or historical fiction centered around myth, either through retellings of classics or the invention of new mythologies for the modern age; dark magical realism; bubblegum thrillers; and socially-conscious horror.
In Young and New Adult Fiction, Lee looks for YA that has crossover potential and NA stories set in college or directly post-grad. Her taste in these categories is broad, but she’s mostly looking for stories her 15-year-old self would’ve dedicated a tumblr blog to. Diversity is a must, as are well-developed, loveable (or love-to-hateable) characters. She enjoys meticulously-researched, atmospheric historical fiction with an element of mystery/suspense or other propulsive plot engines. She also loves dystopian fiction, but it must be grounded in real life issues and critique our present-day socio-political systems. For contemporary fiction, she’s open to stories centering queer characters, characters with mental illness and particularly OCD, or rom-com heroines with autism in interesting, off-beat settings.